


this city belongs to us

by thephanlock



Series: TWD One-Shots [4]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: An AU version, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, In Hiding, M/M, Minor Character Death, POV Third Person, Past Tense, Protective Jesus (Walking Dead), Set during All Out War, Team Family, Team as Family, Zombie Apocalypse, kind of, to be honest they're all just mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-12 23:11:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10501404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thephanlock/pseuds/thephanlock
Summary: Cities belong to the walkers. That was a fact that everyone had known since the beginning, since the news stations became chaotic with confused reports about a ‘spreading virus’ and the ability to trust those around you was put to the test.So, when Daryl and Jesus found themselves sprinting through a seemingly abandoned city in the middle of the night, desperately trying to outrun a group of Saviors, alarm bells had started ringing.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My take on what could happen after all the groups try and take down the Saviors. Hopefully it's not too sucky, I quite like it.
> 
> I listened to [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EAoJbCVb4g) on repeat whilst writing, it adds a bit of atmosphere.

**this city belongs to us**

 

Cities belong to the walkers. That was a fact that everyone had known since the beginning, since the news stations became chaotic with confused reports about a ‘spreading virus’ and the ability to trust those around you was put to the test.

So, when Daryl and Jesus found themselves sprinting through a seemingly abandoned city in the middle of the night, desperately trying to outrun a group of Saviors, alarm bells had started ringing. 

“Do you think they saw us?” Paul asked, still a little breathless from all the running. With a shake of his head, Daryl leaned back against the wall of the alley they had found themselves in, hiding just enough of him behind an overturned bin. 

“Nah but they know we’re here somewhere.” Daryl replied, trying to keep his mind off of the events of the last twenty four hours. Their mission to take out the Saviors hadn’t gone entirely to plan and now, like after the herd found its way into Hershel’s farm and like after the fall of the prison, they were in little groups, scattered all over the place, not even sure if the others were alive.

When planning what was going to happen, they hadn’t anticipated Negan and his men knowing they were coming again, hadn’t anticipated that they’d be waiting, ready to fight. Still, now that the Alexandrians outnumbered the Saviors with groups from Hilltop, the Kingdom, the Scavengers and a few from Oceanside, they weren’t too taken aback. Just because they knew didn’t change the outcome of what they’d gone there to do.

In the crossfire, he’d seen a few of his friends go down. He’d had no choice but to watch as a bullet tore through them or a walker got a little too close, too wrapped up in his own battles to be able to help them. Sasha, Eugene and Aaron were some of those he knew had been killed or taken  _ then  _ probably killed, and that was just counting those he  _ knew.  _ He hadn’t seen what had happened to the others.

“Hey,” Paul murmured, now crouched beside him. “Get out of your head. They’re going to be okay. If I’ve learned one thing about your friends since I’ve met them, it’s that they always find a way back to each other. You included.” 

Daryl could still feel the pull of Paul’s hand on his, yanking him out of the battle as the Saviors surrounded him, wanting to finish their escaped prisoner once and for all. He could still hear the shouted echoes of, ‘Come on, we gotta go!’ as they ran out into the near-darkness, could still feel the cold breeze of dusk hitting him in the face as they took off into a sprint, heading as far away as possible.

“They’re your friends now, too.” Daryl mumbled in return, not entirely ready to thank him for pulling him out before it got too late. Seeming to understand, Paul nodded, the sombre expression on his face lightening a little. After a moment’s silence, a thought dawned on Daryl, one that was as terrifying as it was saddening. “Now what? We can’t go back to Alexandria, they’ll be looking there. Same goes for Hilltop. Doubt the Kingdom escaped without a Savior or two following ‘em back.”

As likely as it was that Rick’s side had taken out all of the Saviors, there was bound to be at least a few of the lower rankers that had escaped, slipping under the radar as the others worried about taking down Negan. And of course, those that had escaped would either flee or follow their loyalties into going for revenge, a lot of them looking for Daryl and Paul, their escaped prisoner and the man who continuously broke in and helped said prisoner escape.

“I guess we lay low for a while. I think I saw a warehouse a few blocks back, looks like people used to live there near the beginning, maybe there’ll be some leftover supplies there. If not we’re in the middle of a city, there’s bound to be something here.” Paul shot back, voice still hushed in fear of lingering Saviors. Daryl noted how he skimmed over the fact that they were in the middle of a city, a few miles out from the Saviors’ compound and there were no walkers around.

He hoped that the noise of gunfire and explosions had attracted them east or that the previous inhabitants had taken the majority of them out. All in all, he just hoped they wouldn’t be met with a group of walkers as soon as they opened the door to the warehouse, or even a group of survivors. Nowadays, he wasn’t sure which was worse.

“Let’s go.” Daryl prompted, having been at least fifteen minutes since they heard any footsteps or mutterings. 

Paul didn’t object. The city around them was a ghost town and he was grateful for the silence, especially since his ears were still ringing from the loud bangs and shots, the screams barely audible over the noise of the weapons. Still, he tried to push all that out of his mind for now and focus on surviving, if not for his own sake then for Daryl’s - Paul knew he felt at least partly to blame.

When they reached the warehouse, Daryl pulled his crossbow off his back, raising it to eye level as Paul twisted the doorknob to reveal…

Nothing. Nobody. An empty warehouse.

Well, empty except for the few sleeping bags in the centre of the room and a wind up lantern. Lowering his crossbow, Daryl stepped past Paul and into the space, heading for the sleeping bags.

“Wonder what made them leave.” Paul mused, heading for the opposite side of the room, where a heap of cans lay, some toppled over and empty, some still piled on top of one another, full and untouched. Flipping one over, Paul was pleased to see that they were all still within their use-by dates. Not like that mattered much anymore.

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Daryl shrugged, picking up the lantern as a brief ache ran through his heart. He hadn’t seen one of these since before, since he used to go out on hunting trips with his brother and his father. Though, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure he actually missed those days. “Reckon we could stay here for a few days at least. Looks like they’re long gone. There enough food?” He asked, looking over at Paul who was already looking at him.

“Plenty.” Paul replied, sauntering over to the sleeping bags and grabbing one, before curling up inside it. Even though he knew he wouldn’t be sleeping, he figured it would be better to lie down and rest, trying to regain some energy, as opposed to wandering around in the darkness as walker bait. At least here, it would be more difficult for the walkers and the Saviors to find them - though that was the last thing on both of their minds.

Daryl, on the other hand, just sat on top of one of the remaining sleeping bags, legs crossed and thoughts flying around his head. After about twenty minutes of silence - at least that’s what it felt like, how could anyone tell what time it was anymore? - Daryl glanced across at Paul’s back, facing him as he lay on his side. 

One thing Daryl was certain of was that if Paul hadn’t dragged him out of the compound when he did, the crowd around him would have grown too large to escape from and they would have got what they wanted - him dead. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing right now but Daryl still felt his heart swell with something close to gratitude.

“Thanks, by the way,” He mumbled, thinking Paul was long asleep. “I’m here because of you so, thanks.” Little did he know that it was taking everything within Paul to not face Daryl and hug him tightly right at that moment.

 

* * *

 

The next few days are surprisingly quiet in comparison to the past couple of months they’d faced and by day four in the city, the both of them felt a little more at peace and a little more sane than they had before. 

They’d found themselves falling into an unspoken routine. Come morning, they would eat a breakfast of some sort of tinned food, before going out scavenging around the buildings, looking for nothing in particular but rather trying to occupy themselves and pass the time. Then, as the sun was beginning to set, the pair of them would head back towards the warehouse and spend the rest of the night chatting and eating their dinner by a make-do fire in the nearby alley they’d hidden in when they had first arrived, a time that felt like years ago by now.

“I kind of miss it, you know? I never felt at home at Hilltop, never really got close to anyone there really, Gregory hated me so that didn’t help and I suppose running off in the middle of the night didn’t either. But that’s where I first met people after the apocalypse, including my boyf-- my ex-boyfriend. That’s where I got to know the people I see as my family. That’s where I got to know you.” Paul said, feeling as though he was rambling as his gaze dropped to his hands, twiddling thumbs and fumbling fingers desperately trying to busy themselves.

“I get that,” Daryl replied. Normally, he wouldn’t open up to people, letting his feelings bottle up until it all became too much but with Paul, it was different. It was so simple to talk to him and Daryl was sure he could tell him everything about himself before he even realised he opened his mouth. It was just so  _ easy.  _ “‘Used to camp out in the forest near the house where everyone else slept, hunting in the day and not really talking to anyone but Carol. Just didn’t really want to risk losing anyone I cared about an’ I wouldn’t care about anyone unless I spoke to them so,” He explained, referring to the days they spent back on Hershel’s farm. “I get it.”

“You’re just easier to talk to, I feel like I can tell you anything.” Paul said, looking across at Daryl with a fond look in his eyes. It felt as though Paul had took the words right out of his mouth and at that, he smiled, knowing that whatever  _ this  _ was, whatever was going on with his feelings right now, was returned. 

“Not sure anyone’s ever said that about me before.” Daryl replied, since people used to find him  _ harder  _ to talk to. Nervous and wary, Paul leaned into Daryl’s personal space and paused, giving him time to pull away if that’s what he wanted. But something in the way they looked at one another, the way they spoke to each other in hushed voices, as though every word uttered to the other was a secret kept between only the two of them, the way their touches lingered for longer than necessary, told him that Daryl wouldn’t.

A little impatient, Daryl grabbed the lapels of Paul’s coat and pulled him towards him, lips colliding in a kiss. Paul let out a surprised noise, before melting into the kiss, hands finding the back of Daryl’s neck as he tugged him even closer. Whatever  _ this  _ was, it was good. A few moments passed before Paul pulled away, a bit breathless, as he kept hold of Daryl for a second, Paul’s fingers intertwining with his.

For a while, they fell into a comfortable silence, as the stars finally graced the sky above them and becoming their only light source, as the fire began to flicker out. As was the case most nights, they both stood up and went back inside, after Daryl had stomped out the remains of the fire and Paul had thrown the empty cans into the bin nearby.

They both knew they wouldn’t be able to stay there forever and within the next few days, they would have to journey away from the city in search of the others but for now, there was stillness and quiet. There was nothing to worry about, besides the light vanishing from the sky before they made their way back to the warehouse. For now, they could pretend that everything that happened was a faint and distant nightmare.

For now, the city was theirs.

 

* * *

 

On the seventh day, they bumped into their first set of walkers since everything that had gone down at the compound and Daryl wasn’t all that surprised to find that his suspicions were right - they’d been lured to the Saviors by the noise. He hoped that the walkers heading this way had wiped out the remaining Saviors before they got out of the compound, not feeling at all guilty for thinking so.

“We gotta get going today, there’s gonna be more of ‘em coming.” Daryl stated and Paul nodded in agreement, having been thinking the same thing. Grabbing his backpack and stuffing as many cans as he could fit into it without making it too heavy, Paul started to walk in the opposite direction of the walkers.

“It’s this way to Hilltop.” He said, having rode in the back of a truck through this city many times before, knowing this route like the back of his own hand. Thinking Hilltop was probably a better option than Alexandria, even if Negan had been taken out, Daryl followed Paul as they set off. “Shouldn’t take long. If we can find a car we’ll be there before sunset.”

Luckily enough, after twenty minutes or so of walking, the walkers far behind them now, there was a line of cars abandoned just outside the city, where the buildings gradually changed to countryside. The fourth car they tried had just enough petrol in it for the journey and was, conveniently, not dead.

Neither of them spoke for a long time, Paul’s hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Without asking, they both knew what the other was thinking. Chances were, the survivors had had the same idea as them, meeting back at Hilltop or the Kingdom, most likely avoiding Alexandria. So, the pair of them were wracked with nerves and dread, unprepared to find out which members of their family had made it out and which hadn’t.

“I didn’t know you could drive.” Daryl uttered, disturbing the silence in favour of small talk. Eyes focused on the road, Paul hummed in response.

“Why would I try and steal your truck if I couldn’t drive?” Paul teased, a small smile playing at his lips. Daryl’s expression soon mirrored his and he playfully punched Paul’s shoulder. “I just prefer walking. Gives me time to think.”

 

* * *

  
A few hours and a couple of pit stops later and their car was rolling up to the gates of Hilltop, both of their hearts pounding hard enough that Paul was convinced his heart was going to fall out of his chest, push through his rib cage and out onto the dashboard of the car. Daryl stuck his head out of the car window and threw a thumbs up Kal’s direction, who was on watch duty.

Barely a moment later, the gates were opening and the car was rolling onto familiar ground. As Paul parked the car on the grass, Daryl looked across at him, took a deep breath and nodded, an unspoken agreement, a gesture that was returned. Whatever had happened, they would combat this together.

Stepping out of the car, Daryl could see them at the doorway to Barrington House - his family,  _ their  _ family.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [This](https://stillsanvers.tumblr.com) is my tumblr if you feel like chatting about this fic or desus or just The Walking Dead in general, my asks are always open.


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